#i can imagine and think of nice good things though...

[them-faetale]

Yes, OP knows more about anarchism than the average bear, but their reasoning is faulty and shows up some common misconceptions around anarchism - and shows that they have been exposed to a lot of self-proclaimed anarchists who have sucked at thinking through or explaining the philosophy.

No hate to OP here - there are a lot of crappy anarchists, a lot of ways to interpret anarchism, and plenty of reasons to not support it that are perfectly valid and reasonable.

But the main critiques here are just pretty rubbish, and I believe have been addressed by a lot of existing anarchist discourse, so I'm sad to see them being rolled around this hellsite like this.

Their initial statement has so many issues, but the fundamental one is not actually that they are saying "in a non-anarchist world things were shit so I think they would be shit in an anarchist world" (though they do seem to be saying that). It's not even that they are comparing oranges to apples by saying that in the past people did shitty things, so in the future they would also do them.

No, it's that there seems to be a lack of consideration for *why* people did the things they did. And this is actually at the core of many misunderstandings of what anarchist philosophy believes.

(It's also reflected in the comment about how tribal cultures have wars and hierarchies; that seems to be a refutation of a commonly rolled-out, but poorly considered argument a lot of newbie anarchists use to argue that anarchism is somehow innate or culturally ancient. Which is a daft thing to argue, IMO, and only undermines serious consideration of anarchism.

There have been anarchists in the past, and there may even have been cultures that were recognisably anarchist in prehistory or in tribal situations - but to argue that anarchism is good because it's somehow our "natural state" is garbage. Don't appeal to nature, that's a fallacy, and irrelevant.)

But here's the bit that scraggles me up the wrong way - the anarchist does not believe that anarchy would work because every human is good and kind. It is not a world view that relies on people being nice.

It is a worldview that relies on people acting in their own interests, but the big change is that people need to understand that those self-interests are mutually interdependent on the self-interests of everyone else in their community.

People didn't fail to build ramps and accessible buildings because they are unkind, they did it because they had a monetary and social incentive to build things that uphold a status quo, an exclusionary culture, etc. The point of anarchism is not to just remove hierarchy and leave people to be dicks to each other. It's to break down hierarchy and help each other understand everyone else better, while removing incentives to be mean, shitty and competitive.

The removal of incentives is unarguably the most difficult bit, and you can debate all day about whether it can even be done. But it's a flimsy argument to say that a world where people where incentivised to be shitty produced shitty results, so you don't trust people to not be shitty when those incentives are removed.

There is evidence that people are generally kind and mutually supportive in situations where incentives to be shitty are removed. Emergency situations, situations of plenty, etc. There is also evidence that the reasons why people maintain their shittiness even these situations, all come from trauma from the prior world of crap incentives.

The criticisms of some anarchists ideas of political structure and justice are absolutely valid, though. Some of y'all are too trapped in existing ways of thinking to imagine a justice system that isn't punitive, or a political structure that is actually voluntary and non-hierarchical. Expand your minds, ye fucknuggets.

So yeah, much love to OP, I don't expect this to convert anyone to anarchism, but I hope that some folks who read this and were thinking that people are inherently shitty because of the shitty past can rethink that assumption a bit.

The reason I’m not an anarchist is that in the centuries before the Americans with disabilities act people could have all installed safe wheelchair ramps in all of their buildings and they didn’t.

If you’re trying to make a system that relies on people being nice I’m not gonna go with it.

[erwinsvow]

Okay okay it doesn’t make sense within the context of the show but shhhh

Arranged marriage with pope.

Please hear me out. He’s so awkward and off putting and you’re so nice and innocent. Everyone is scared for you because well… look at him. But pope is just so obsessed with you. Staring at you 24/7. He touches you because he can. I imagine him trying so hard to delicately brush hair out of your face to be romantic but he just kinda ends up looking like the terminator

you have truly appealed to my ancestral roots. how did you know arranged marriage is my favorite thing in the world. there is really no canon context in the show where this makes sense but youre right, we are rolling with it because that is what i am here for. it'd have to be some sort of business transaction/deal with some other family... definitely some family that does not care about you and very old schooly decides to trade you away in order to get the codys to do jobs maybe... or a really big job where they can't have anyone snitching on them so the traditional way to go about it is to tie the deal with marriage.. idk. unnecessary context! the real answer here is just as you said—hulking, lumbering season four jacked andrew. there's no real 'wedding' which he doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. it has to be him because duh he's the oldest. they probably try to get j to do it after a brief moment of thinking maybe it's not the best idea to give pope a wife but i think i could imagine j spinning it around and convincing the others it would be the best for andrew because it'd be stable and whatnot. i think andrew assumes you'd be some bad-tempered spoiled child of criminals like his own family. gets very uneasy at first seeing how quiet you are and how you can't meet his eyes and just little things that tell him you were not what he was picturing at all. maybe you made dessert for everyone and help clean the table after eating and while everyone's talking you just go start washing dishes to escape the conversation. and he'd already be in there cleaning so maybe you both realize you were very mistaken about the other. i like that a lot! i loooove arranged marriage aus gaaah. the niceness and innocence only grows. maybe you two get to see each other a few times before going to town hall to sign papers—you wear a white skirt with a pretty top but he was really itching to see you in a white dress. it's okay though, once you two are married he envisions a future where he can get you whatever you want in the security of your home with him. everyone's cracking jokes about you and him but he has a new mission in life now, which is protecting his wife. i imagine he takes it very very seriously. i can imagine reader being very very nervous and not sure what andrew's personality is really like because she hasn't heard the best things. mean taunts about how her new husband is a beast and she'll be lucky to stay in one piece. i mean you have to consider his reputation to outsiders too. he's just a big softie inside though once he trusts her and i think he innately does since they're bonded together now.

fondness has to grow and fear has to leave before anything happens. you unlearn flinching when you turn around to find him waiting for you already, realize how much he cares about you when he comes home with something you had mentioned in passing yesterday. and since there's a new small home for you both, he tells you to decorate it how you'd like and helps you with house hold things like putting up curtains and moving furniture to lay down a rug. just very cutesy domestic life. i think it would soften you both up a lot. and also i think he wouldn't sleep with you right away, even if you were open to it. he sees it as something more special than that since you two are married. in fact i imagine a month in, after lingering touches and lots of staring (all the time, when he's supposed to be laying out the rug he stops since he got to where you're standing and gets distracted by your legs and your hand hovering and especially distracted when he sees the wedding band on your ring finger. in the store when you're holding up two options asking him to pick his favorite, doesn't answer just keeps staring. when you're washing dishes and ask him to bring you his coffee cup and he just stares realizing this is how domestic bliss feels) anyways after a month of that and andrew trying to be a cutesy husband but it's more of an endearing sort of awkward (let's be real, would this not work on you?? it would on me) i think you'd be begging for it (you've been begging for it since the first week when you saw how big his arms get when he's lifting something for you and how veiny they are at night when you fall asleep next to each other) and only then would he complete his duties as a husband. alternatively, the entire house is so cute and set up now and it just feels like a home and you two have a routine and you feel like a real husband and wife and now with everything in place he finally feels ready to give you a baby because isn't that the point of marriage after all <3

[harrietswriting]

can we get some steve imagines please 😖😖

an: guys please be more specific when requesting! I got two asks (including this one) for just a Steve fic, and it took me so long to get to cause I could not think of what to write 😭 but thanks for the requests ofc <3

W: fem!reader, not proof read, suggestive ig

Word count: 1k

When you had left for your walk, the weather was perfect. The sun was shining, there were just a few small clouds, it was hot, but there was a nice breeze. The perfect summer day. Then, seemly out of nowhere, it started raining. Right as you registered that it was sprinkling, it had started to down pour on you. You quickly made your way over to the nearest building, a cute little Cafe. You remembered it as soon as you had walked in– you and your boyfriend, Steve, had gone on a date there recently. The red booths and matching barstools reminded you of lipstick. You hoped your makeup wasn't running down your face.

You're wet, cold, and very uncomfortable. You look out the windows and up at the dark clouds. It doesn't seem like the rain will be letting up anytime soon. Thunder booms right as you finish your thought, confirming your fear.

"Shoot." You mumble to yourself.

You approach the bar and get a lady's attention. She smiles at you sweetly and asks, "What can I get ya, deary?"

You smile politely. "I was just wondering if you had a phone I could use?" You ask because desperately want to call Steve to ask him to come pick you up.

"We do. 'Round that corner," she points, then looks at your soaked clothes. "Poor thing, you got caught out in that storm?"

You nod. "Yeah. Didnt know it was supposed to rain today. I'm fine though, and thank you for letting me use the phone."

"Of course, hun." She says. You make your way over to the phone and quickly dial the Randle's home phone. You hope he's there and not at the Curtis's, or working today. You don't have enough change to make multiple calls.

The phone doesn't ring for long before a familiar voice that you love answers. "Hey, this is Steve. Who's this?"

"Oh, thank goodness. Hi, baby, it's me."

Steve recognizes your voice, and can hear the unease in it. "Oh, hey, sugar. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just, well, soaking wet."

"...Do you want me to come over?"

You stammer, "I- I didn't mean like that. I was on a walk and it started pouring on me. So I'm cold and wet and need a ride home."

"Oh. I can come get you. Just don't tell my old man I'm burrowing his car." He says.

You breath out a laugh. "Thank you. I'm at the diner you took me too last weekend."

"Oh, the one where you wore that little pink dress to?" He asks.

"Yeah. I can't believe you remember what I was wearing."

"How could I forget you in that dress? Damn did you look good, baby."

You feel your face heat up, and you're glad he's not there to tease you about being embarrassed. You say your goodbyes and I love yous, then you hung up the phone. You desperately want to get out of clothes that are sticking to your body and trying to make you catch a cold. You sit at a table near the front door and wait for him. It's not long until you see Steve's dad's car coming down the street. You quickly leave the cafe, and stand under the cover by the entrance as he parallel parks. Once the car is stopped you run over to it as quickly and as carefully as you can. Then you quickly get in.

"Hey, baby." Steve smiles at you as you buckle.

"Hey. Thanks for coming to get me."

"Yeah, no problem." He starts driving again. "Did you see me park? Pretty good at that ain't I?"

You smile. "Yeah. Pretty good."

The car smelled like cigarette smoke, beer, and cheap cologne. It reminded you of Steve, though Steve smelled more like a deck of cards and gasoline, plus, he didn't smoke as much as his old man. Steve's done his fair share of repairs on this car. You'd watched him roll under it a handful of times.

Steve's voice breaks up your thoughts. "Am I taking you to your house, or do you want to come over?"

"My house. I need to change."

"You've got tons of clothes at my place."

You smile. "Fine, your place." You pause. "I hope I don't catch a cold. I just hate being sick." You say anxiously as you watch the rain fall outside the window.

Steve moves his hand to your thigh. "You'll be fine. You're tough."

"I hope you're right."

The majority of the car ride passes in silence. It's a peaceful silence. The sound of the rain pelting the car is soothing. You sigh. Even the booming thunder can't seem to disturb your peace.

Several minutes later, you're wrapped in a towel, sitting on the edge of Steve's bed, as he gets some clothes for you. He looks over at you and smiles. "You look cute," he says.

You smile back. "Thank you."

Steve walks over and hands you a change of clothes. You stand up and press a kiss into his cheek before going off to the bathroom to change.

When you get back, Steve is sitting on his bed and looking at you.

"This blouse doesn't match with this skirt." You tell him as you walk over.

He looks you up and down. "I think it looks fine."

You grab his shoulders the settle on this lap, straddling it. "Well, good thing you're the only one seeing it then."

Steve's gaze falls on your lips and he leans in just a bit. "Mhm."

You wrap your arms around his neck. "If I do end up catching a cold, you won't be allowed to kiss me for a while. Don't want you getting sick too."

"Then we should get all our kissing in now then, huh?"

You giggle. "Yeah, I guess we should."

You both meet in the middle, bringing your lips together. Steve wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you impossibly closer. The kisses are addicting. The breaks in-between kisses are short and you only change from swapping spit to swapping air. Before long, Steve is carefully moving you off his lap, and laying you under him, his lips still on yours. He pulls away for just a moment and caresses your face.

"I'll still kiss you if you get sick. I'd still kiss you if you had TB, baby." He smirks, then his lips find your neck and his hand traces down your side.

"I won't let you kiss me if I had TB, you wacko. I won't let you get sick." You say breathlessly.

"I'm already sick– I'm lovesick." He remarks, seemingly proud of his joke.

"You're an idiot... but I guess I'm lovesick too."

I had no idea where I was going with this, but I hope you all liked it!

[spikeface]

(tara voice) theeeeeeoooooo

I really did hear it in her voice jfkdsla

How I feel about this character: I am a notorious hater of change in TV casts. Once I get to know The Blorbos, I get invested and grow increasingly grumpy about meddling. I stopped watching Teen Wolf at first because the cast changed so dramatically between s3 and s4. I'm a baby about it!

So you can imagine my surprise when, after showing up five seasons into this show, this little weirdo slithered into my heart almost immediately.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: SCOTT MCCALL. Ahem, so sorry I yelled, let me try again: SCOTT MCCALL.

They are everything to me! It's the way Theo defines himself through Scott from the very beginning: he remembers Scott helping him when he was small! Scott made him feel better! And they used to be the same! Asthmatic little kids! And now he needs to kill that part of himself, finally and for real, and at the same time, Scott is so different from him: a real werewolf, a true alpha, someone who got power without killing anyone, especially not their sister. I'm such a sucker for that kind of obsession and Theo delivered in spades.

Meanwhile, Scott truly wants to have faith that they're still the same: that this is the same kid he used to know, that their history matters. He wants it to be the case that Theo understands what it means to be a werewolf, that Theo knows what it is to try to define yourself against a violent tide, to know how important it is to have a pack, to be terrified of being alone. He makes himself so wrenchingly emotional around Theo, in a way he's so incredibly reluctant to do in general. But he wants to let Theo in that badly!

And even if he doesn't see the truth of what Theo is there to do, he sees a deeper truth because Theo does know what it means to be trying to define yourself out of violence, to be alone, to be desperate for connection. It's just that Theo makes different choices, rejects the connection Scott offers because he tells himself he doesn't care.

But he cares so baddddd. 5b guts me every time because they're both walking around so wrecked by the murder. Scott's wound is the most compelling (and literal) to me, but the way Theo's failure is both infuriating and a relief to him just gets to me. He makes five different plans afterwards and they're all still about being like Scott and outdoing Scott! And Posey is so good at making Scott so raw about Theo: hurt, scared, angry, pathetically hopeful. He warns Theo not to trust Deucalion and suggests he could kill Theo if he had to seconds later. Theo cracks Scott open so good!

That said, I also adore Theo's dynamic with Malia--they eat their scenes up. He loves that she's more powerful him even though it also makes him insane. She can't ignore her feelings for him even after he murdered one of her best friends. Theo admits he doesn't want to hurt her and still does. Like come on, what am I supposed to do, not ship them?

I'm also a sucker for his thing with Tracy, I think I've read every fic for them and wish there were more.

I love his enemies-with-benefits thing with Stiles but soured on the pairing after seeing how the fandom treated Scott.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Okay, I know I just said what I said about Maleo but I'm also such a sucker for Theo&Malia becoming friends. I just think it would happen! Theo offers the kind of quiet help Malia would appreciate--especially compared to the flimsy and inflammatory "help" Peter tries to foist on her--and she's already softening on him by the end of s6. I think that as time went on and Theo puts more effort into being nice to people, he'd make more progress. And then they're both orphans with siblings they killed who know what it's like to be homeless. I just think they'd get each other on a level no one else does.

And I do enjoy Theo's dynamic with Liam. Liam holds Theo accountable in a way Theo really needs in s6, and you can see Theo responding to it. I've said it before, but I also really love that moment when, after being an incredible bitch about the keys for the truck, Theo takes in how psyched Liam is that they found the right one and cracks a big smile. I think Liam's particular brand of jockish hype is infectious for someone like Theo. In my current WIP, Theo lives in a guesthouse at Liam's place and I'm having fun with it.

My unpopular opinion about this character: In this fandom? The bar is so low that "canon is real" seems to be an unpopular opinion. It is canon, for instance, that he is the same age as Scott and co, and never had a heart condition, and yet...

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. Would ONE conversation about the past with Scott (or Malia or Lydia or Hayden) be too much to ask?

And I wish he had taken Scott's pain.

Give me a character, if you'd like!

[rooksamoris]

trigger warning!! racism and racist advertisements.

i wanna elaborate on the point of ruggie using makeup as well. overall, makeup seems very gender neutral in the twisted wonderland, which is a dream tbh, but anyways. i have seen ruggie's most recent birthday card, but i have not read the vignette. it reminds me a lot of people living in lower incomes go out of their way to be cleaner or at least appear cleaner. in america this is due to white supremacy and the way we perceive wealth and purity, and in places like my home country of yemen, it is for the exact same reasons. i grew up with my mother lathering me in lotion and making sure my hair was perfectly parted for the sake of impressing other people. of course, cleanliness is always a good thing, for health reasons and otherwise, but i don't think people realize how difficult cleanliness is to maintain due to factors such as mental health, lack of time, and poverty.

it makes me think back to a time my grandmother nearly lost it because i got a tan and she began to say i looked dirty, next to my darker skinned cousin. of course, i don't blame my grandmother for growing up impoverished with these ideas instilled in her, but it does not make these words any less hurtful.

historically, cleanliness has been associated with whiteness. i can get into the studies about how it is connected with environmental racism, purity, and western propaganda, but lets keep it brief so i can chat about ruggie bucchi some more. here's a literal advertisement about how the white man's burden is to bring cleanliness to the world:

im not here to argue about white supremacy in twst, because it seems like they have different forms of prejudices instead (though, misogyny still seems to exist as seen with vil having to smack it out of epel). instead, i wanna further add to your idea of ruggie's cleanliness being intrinsically connected to his poverty.

sadly, you are treated differently based on the way you look. countless people have been ousted from jobs and places because of their appearances. the whole "clean girl aesthetic" is built upon stealing the traditions of south/west-asian women and making it palatable through whiteness. why is one person's slick back clean girl and another person's is smelly and oily?

i headcanon that ruggie goes out of his way collecting those makeup samples and whatever he can to look nicer because of a survival instinct. sure, he's already considered sleazy and shameless by others in universe, but he puts in the effort to not look the part. i imagine that growing up in the sunset savanna was hard for him and made even more difficult by having his poverty seen on his outward appearance. it makes him look untrustworthy compared to his wealthy counterparts who can afford to be innocent. adultification is something we see a lot within marginalized groups, and with that comes labor and ideas too old for a child. i imagine he must have tried to find work as a kid, but was never seriously hired because he's some scruffy looking kid from the streets.

i think back to his dream during book seven and get really sad about the image of himself depicted there. an upright student who admires leona for helping his people, who can afford to really study and do something great. his glasses, though its not really a focus, cause me to wonder if he has actual eyesight issues but cant afford to go get them checked. his clothes in this dream are all tailored to fit him perfectly and he looks very nice, frankly. when he talks about a clean look, this is what he means. this image is the epitome of upstanding, trusted, and taken care of.

juxtapose this to the real ruggie, whose clothes are ill-fitting since most of them are mended hand-me-downs, who uses up all of his products till they are completed, who collects samples and tries to get as much out of them. ruggie still looks lovely, regardless, but his clothes are fraying and they're much too big for him. at the very least, he is clothed, but not exactly the image of cleanliness which is likely exalted in the twisted wonderland.

anyways, im sure i have more thoughts about this, but that's all i got for now!!

Wretched thoughts and headcanons based on how Rook Hunt covers up his freckles and how Azul dislikes his octo-form body and also how Deuce and others seem to have preconceived notions on what appearances look clean or reputable or put together that might explain why the beastfolk are so clean shaven. There's a good chance that, like how makeup and heels are genderless for wonderlanders, there are other beauty concepts- specifically those that are not healthy-that also carry over and are applied regardless of gender. For the beastfolk and for guys in general, like how makeup and heels are seen as neutral and something to be used to look nice/put together, body hair and especially unkempt body hair might come with it's own set of negative stereotypes. The beastfolk might be shaving or doing something to minimize hair.

A wretched thought and headcanon that kinda holds up with how there's been known body self image problems with how Vil reacts to his own upkeep, Azul with how he maintains weight and looks and dress, and Rook covering his freckles.

Again, it kinda holds water as a headcanon. Even Ruggie wears makeup to look put together, to fit in and look approachable. Jack puts stock in his appearance as well as Leona who has keen eye on what looks good and he also knows how to dress up when he wants to. As for saying it's too tedious for Leona, i will say that his braids and outfits do still get done one way or another so it's not like he doesn't do stuff to maintain his appearance (plus he has his insecurities and preconceived notions about stuff just like any native of wonderland so he likely also has his own concerns about how people view him) and i wouldn't be surprised if like Jamil he used magic to quickly and efficiently get a clean cut.

Anyways tl;dr the headcanon that the beastfolk are shaving (magically or traditionally) does hold water unfortunately, especially if a wide range of stereotypes about appearances are gender neutral and thus applied to everyone equally, especially if you look at how rook covers up his freckles, how others do view makeup and dressing up as a way to maintain appearances and how vil and Azul do suffer from poor body self-image. I can't list em all rn but like there are lines that hint at wanting to maintain a put together clean look which seems to be applied to everyone pretty equally, (like Sebek not having any real preferences but making sure to get stuff that he thinks fit a knight and that won't make him look bad next to Malleus when he's on duty, or Ace worrying about making sure his eyeliner and brows are done well, Ruggie making sure to look put together at NRC even if he is using makeup samples, and reactions to certain appearances like Vargas or mentions of stereotypes)

Also the headcanon is clearly more so rooted in social perceptions and culture considering Vil isn't in charge of Jack, Ruggie nor Leona and Vil and others are also likely shaving for this reason, this cultural view on appearances.

Something something, all/conceptions of beauty/appearances are gender neutral in wonderland with some unfortunate overlap.

All headcanons of course. In Meta it's likely that they're anime guys made by Yana and anime hates putting hair on a guy and Yana especially doesn't normally make hairy beefy guys. So double whammy for meta. But headcanon wise it's cause all appearance, beauty, and body stereotypes exist and are gender neutral in society. Societally though, so like it's not something everyone agrees with but might feel pressured to follow anyways and of course, the cultural ideas are riddled with both genuine good advice and complete bullshit beliefs (like sun screen IS a must and not a frivolity but freckles are NOT defects and are perfectly normal. Fat is normal and not something to be ashamed of. But like all of the usual stuff, helpful or not, is applied equally regardless of gender).

[sleebyconfy]

..

[benevolenterrancy]

Hi I have caught up to you on having feelings about Zhuzhi-Lang. He's a good boy! 🥺 Good snake boy! 🥺 I had the thought, after Zhuzhi let SQQ leave after SQQ yelled at him... what if they Stole Him. What if.

(Also have you read/been recommended anything by corduroyserpent yet? Big writer of Zhuzhi-Lang fics, including a very cute de-aged Zhuzhi-Lang and some zhushen)

Justifications of bride-stealing!

(AND HE'S THE BEST BOY 😭 I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, SO MUCH!! have some further au thoughts because this has contaminated my brain...)

What I think would actually happen if they stole SQQ? Absolutely nothing good for anyone, LBH would Lose His Fucking Mind xD as a more interesting answer though, I like the idea that Shen "Pedantic Nitpicky Asshole" Qingqiu's primary point of argument is that he is not a bride so he cannot be "bridenapped" regardless of demonic tradition or intention!

This eventually leads to them all completely avoiding the Maigu Ridge incident because TLJ realizes that, somehow, SQQ doesn't realize the depths of his son's feelings for him and decides to put all his efforts into being a wingman for his nephew instead because he finds the entire thing absolutely hilarious and rather satisfying after his own sad romance. Obviously someone like SQQ would do much better with his good, loyal nephew than the disappointing offspring of that disastrous relationship!

As for ZZL he just has to assume that LBH must not be treating SQQ anywhere near the way he should be (and like... he isn't wrong at this point, there is a non-zero amount of torture and terror going on here) if SQQ doesn't see himself as being tied to LBH in any way. And if he's not attached to LBH then there's absolutely no reason he shouldn't make his own efforts to seduce SQQ! After all, if LBH isn't valuing SQQ properly then obviously ZZL has to step up because someone as kind as SQQ deserves the best!!!

[faunandfloraas]

okay i'm glad to see you bring up the teasing of seungmin bc it was also rubbing me the wrong way but i didn't know if i was just being sensitive or what. obvs we don't know what goes on behind the scenes and obviously they all care about each other and tease each other as friends but when time after time the joke targeted towards seungmin is "we don't like him and he doesn't understand things" it's like. hm. it starts to feel mean spirited!!

sorry for the rant i guess i didn't realize how bad this was annoying me lmao

Yeah, tbf I think it's just one of those things where even if Seungmin is 100% unbothered by it, and the guys dont mean anything by it, its still fine and understandable for people who have ever been on the end of jokes like that- whether in your own friend groups or at school, at work, etc. to not really enjoy it.... So I don't think you're being sensitive! But also I did question even making my post last night for the same reason.

The jokes are also just not funny 90% of the time lately which makes it more egregious bc seeing any joke get beaten into the earth gets old eventually- like they do make jokes at his expense sometimes that /are/ funny, so I'm not saying they cant ever do that, it's just that the minute the jokes arent funny, well then its awkward at best or actively uncomfortable at worst so 🤷‍♀️

[o4o41]

Satisfactory outcome

[shewhoeatssand]

I want to befriend Kaneki and meet with him and email him forever

[sixhumansouls]

Ralsei rambles

Sorry I'm a little obsessed but let me get into a collection of just. Random unorganized thoughts here for fun

So one of the first things we learn about Ralsei is that he's been waiting his whole life to meet Kris and Susie. I'm not going to completely deny the possibility that he's lying about any given thing here (we don't know for sure yet) but for the sake of this post I'll assume he's being honest because I don't think he's an evil liar and that's not how I'm looking at his character right now. So right off the bat- he's been waiting his whole life, in that castle, presumably not talking to people (the great door was closed, he seems very inexperienced in social situations, he's never hugged anyone before, he's never had friends before). So he's a very isolated, touch-starved person relying on a prophecy as his one hope in life.

The legend describes himself being some sort of hero, along with two companions. Before even meeting Kris and Susie, he wants to be friends with them, because he knows they will be heroes and he knows he will meet them and those are some of the only things he knows at all.

His mindset is also very "lightners are like gods, darkners are just objects", which isn't something exclusive to him and I am very curious how the narrative will explore that, I can't imagine it'll stay that way throughout the game (at least not in an all recruits route). Either way, this means he puts the other heroes above himself. You see a lot in chapter one this sort of worship for Kris ("if you ARE jealous, I could find a leaf and fan you!" "I could hem floral patterns into your ascot!"). It's especially with Lightners, but generally I think he is very desperate for validation which is pretty obvious because He's Never Had It Before and he wants to know he's doing things Right.

Also talking about this I am getting vague thoughts of his low self worth sort of being reflected in his stats, his defence and health are very bad and he's most useful to use as a tool to heal the other party members. Kind of interesting.

We don't know what object he is in the light world, but we do know that as a darkner he is a literal object (or I guess some darkners in cyber world are programs so maybe it doesn't have to be something physical? idk but he's probably an object and if not he's still not what we'd traditionally view as a person when not in the dark world) and I think that very much relates to how he views himself. When he says he doesn't know what "being Ralsei-like" means, I think it's in part because he's not used to viewing himself as a person. He is some sort of object, he is a hero in a prophecy already laid out before him, and he is the prince that lives alone in an empty castle. He doesn't have much perception of himself outside of these sort of roles he's been filling out.

I talked about this in my "puppet scarf" fic, but I think Ralsei is a puppet as well. Not as literally as Kris, of course. I think his metaphorical strings are the prophecy, and he's so set in his role that he can't even consider breaking away from it. And, until he does, I think he'll have a hard time finding himself, because he needs to have an identity outside of what's expected of him and right now he doesn't really. I think Susie will almost inevitably help with that, because she's sort of the opposite. She's nothing like what he expected and she's constantly breaking rules and expectations. I think that if anyone could teach Ralsei to be more independent and to break away from his current mindset and perceptions, it would be her.

And she's already started. She's taught him sarcasm, she taught him that a friend isn't necessarily a kind person and that she's great the way she is, she demonstrated that (while breaking away from the team and attacking enemies wasn't necessarily ideal) she was able to find belonging and friendship in that through Lancer. Lancer himself, as far as we've seen, is barely in the prophecy, so him becoming so important was probably unexpected to Ralsei- things are already somewhat diverging from the story laid out before him.

(Super irrelevant side note- Susie says in chapter 2 that she taught Ralsei sarcasm, presumably while the team was split up at the crossroads, but Ralsei actually uses sarcasm in chapter 1 independently from her. When in prison, he says "well this is a fine 'how do you do', isn't it Kris?" and I HIGHLY doubt that that was genuine so.)

Susie and Ralsei's friendship will definitely be an important one. It's harder to speak on him and Kris because we just don't know how Kris feels about him exactly. He clearly resembles a Dreemurr (to the player he most closely resembles Asriel, but we don't yet know how Asriel currently looks in this game and I don't believe any character has directly compared the two out loud yet? Their names are anagrams, but I think all there's been so far is Susie saying he looks like Toriel and Noelle saying "he looks kinda like" before being cut off. Anyway) , and I imagine that probably makes their relationship awkward considering Kris is currently really missing their brother. We don't know how much Kris might know about dark worlds independently of the player, they did have that save point prior to the game, but I doubt they know much more about Ralsei than we do other than maybe something from those brief moments they have alone with him while we're off with Susie.

Other than the resemblance to their brother, we kind of just have the tea to go off of, which gives me the impression that they feel neutral about him. Still heals them, but not as much as other teas. Ralsei and Noelle's teas heal each other just a bit less than Ralsei does for Kris, and I imagine Ralsei and Noelle are about as neutral feeling towards each other as you can get since they Don't Know Each Other, so it being a bit more is probably a good sign? Obviously both Susie tea and Kris tea heal Ralsei a lot those are his best and only friends and he loves them so so so much

I'm not much of a theorizer so overall my thoughts are: Kris feels pretty neutral towards Ralsei. They probably think it's weird that he looks like their brother and there may be context we don't have with their conversations away from the player. Considering that I don't think he has bad intentions, I doubt Kris thinks that either because where would they get that idea if there's nothing to imply it, so I don't think they actively dislike or distrust him. In Puppet Scarf I had them be upset at him for not helping with their soul but they don't hate him there they're just kind of annoyed that he won't even try to help them because he thinks it's all destiny ANYWAY THIS ISN'T ABOUT MY FIC

I do very much like his friendship with Lancer. I've explored it a bit in my fic "uncertainty" and it's certainly a dynamic I think about a lot, I might write another fic about them at some point. As I mentioned earlier Lancer wasn't really in the prophecy beyond "that one teardrop headed kid who's just there to represent darkners" and prior to the game Ralsei's perception of him is probably mostly just "this guy is the king's son and works for the king and therefore is working against us". So Ralsei had like no intention of being his friend because if anything they'd probably be enemies. And yet….

Ralsei I don't think has it in him to be mean just in general- he's not even mean to the King even though he really should be. And Lancer isn't very good at being mean either, considering the way he "insults" Ralsei tends to just be weirdly phrased compliments? ("Kindboy" "Delicious little apple" "sweet little peas we love to see" "earn a second doctorate smart genius"). They both can't help but be nice to each other and through Susie being their mutual friend it's sort of inevitable that they become somewhat unlikely friends. They come from completely different mindsets, Ralsei obviously being super dedicated to the prophecy while Lancer was completely dedicated to his dad and the fountain before meeting Susie (and still probably doesn't care about the prophecy itself, moreso about his friends in particular) but they're both like. Yeah of course they'd be friends anyway.

Also they're both princes which always seemed significant to me. Like we're drawing attention to a parallel. Although I guess now Lancer's a king but shhh. Also neither of them know how to run a kingdom who left these kids in charge

Anyway um. I like Ralsei a normal amount clearly. Very excited to see where his arc is going I hope he finds the journey of self discovery fulfilling and I hope he finds freedom from the roles he's been assigned

[quantam-furniture]

I'm just thinking about Look Outside. Game is fucking good man. Game is fucking good....

[triglycercule]

mtt anniversary is on september 1st but i'm already having idess over here in january,,,,,,

[musical-chick-13]

Watched the most recent Game Changer and jfc this is ACTUALLY my worst nightmare, genuinely I would walk offstage. If contractually I wasn't allowed, I would just quit and risk getting sued. Quite literally you could not pay me to do this.

[steampoweredskeleton]

.

Ignore

[starfruitii]

cws & notes. fluff. post-timeskip. iwaizumi hajime x gn!reader, + special guest appearances from the seijoh 4 because i love them. 800+ words.

“Wait. Wait a second.” Oikawa squints at you, then at Iwaizumi, then back at you again. “Something's different.”

“First time we see you in almost a year, and you're already acting weird.” Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, pulling out two chairs for you both to sit down. “Nothing's different.”

“Glad to see leaving Japan hasn't changed you, Oikawa.” You chime in, sliding into your seat. It was a nice little cafe, not too crowded, but not empty either. The table Oikawa had chosen was tucked away in the back, right by a window overlooking the street, giving you a perfect opportunity to watch the people walking by.

“No.... no, something is definitely off.” Oikawa looks over to the other two occupied seats, searching for some sort of agreement from his companions. “You two see it, don't you? Something has definitely changed since our last meet-up.”

“Our last meet-up was last September. I think it would be weirder if we hadn't changed a little since then,” Matsukawa laughs, waving him off. “I mean, look at Makki's haircut.”

Hanamaki looks thoughtful for a moment, nodding at Oikawa. “Nah, I think he's got a point. You two seem a little—Wait, what do you mean? What's wrong with my hair, asshole?”

“Hey, I didn't say it was bad! Just... different.”

“So, different in a good way?”

“Uh... sure, if that's what you want to go with.”

“You—”

“This isn't about Makki's hair!” Oikawa interrupts, pointing an accusing finger towards Iwaizumi. He looks up from the menu in his hands, glaring back at Oikawa. “It's about them. Something happened between you two, didn't it?”

“Maybe they got engaged.” Hanamaki suggests.

“They have to be dating before they get engaged.” Matsukawa pauses, realization on his face. “Wait, is that it? Did you guys actually start dating? Do I owe Makki ¥2000?”

“You're all imagining things.” Iwaizumi says bluntly. “Now, are we going to order or not?”

Oikawa's suspicion doesn't waver, but the mention of food distracts him enough to begrudgingly let the topic go. He waves over a waitress, ordering drinks and snacks for the whole table. Once she is gone, the conversation shifts to Matsukawa's work, then Hanamaki's lack of work, then everything Oikawa has been up to in Argentina.

Throughout the visit, you sit back and relax, chiming in with your own anecdotes and comments every now and then. For the most part, you keep quiet, content with listening to your friends as they catch up. Ever since graduation, when you all went your separate ways, reunions with all five of you were few and far between, so you were just happy to be together once again.

You barely notice the time passing at all, until Oikawa is five-minutes deep into a rant about his new team. Iwaizumi looks at his watch and balks, standing up from his seat.

“It's already five.” He says, cutting off Oikawa's voice. “I gotta get going soon.”

“Me too,” You sigh.

“Already?” Matsukawa groans.

“Both of you?” Hanamaki asks, raising an eyebrow. “You have plans you'd like to share?”

“He's my ride home.” You shrug, gathering up your things. “It was great seeing you guys though. We'll have to hang out again when you're all free.”

After your goodbyes, the two of you leave the cafe and walk the short distance to Iwaizumi's car. Once you're alone, you settle into a comfortable silence, accompanied by the quiet sounds of the city in the background. Without your friends' scrutinizing gaze, Iwaizumi walks a little closer to you, until your shoulders lightly brush. The slight touch sends a shiver down your spine, but you make no effort to move away.

“So, Oikawa seems to think something is up.” You say casually, watching Iwaizumi frown at the mention of his friend.

“He can think whatever he wants to think.” He rolls his eyes, holding open the side door of his car. “We don't owe him anything.”

“We do have to tell them at some point, don't we?” You continue, as you climbed into the passenger seat. “You of all people should know he's not going to shut up about it until we do.”

“Of course I know that.” Iwaizumi grumbled, as soon as he was sat in his own seat.

“So...?”

“So what?” He adjusts his mirrors, glancing over at you.

“Is he right?” There's a smile tugging at the corner of your lips. It's clear you find it much more amusing than he does. You lean closer, whispering the words like they're a grand secret. “Is something different, Hajime?”

Iwaizumi shakes his head a little, but can't hide the small smirk on his face. His hand reaches out to grasp your chin, tilting your face upwards so he can press a slow, sweet kiss to your lips. As he leans back, there's a light pink dusting his cheeks. “I don't know. Has something changed?”

You laugh lightly, savouring the taste of his lips on your own. “Nope. Nothing at all.”

do not copy, repost, translate or use my work to train ai. reblogs are appreciated <3